Missoula County Government: Missoula County To Distribute 25,980 Free At-Home COVID Test Kits To Public

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

01/27/2022 11:45 AM

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OEM is slated to receive the test kits this week from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced earlier this month that the state ordered 650,000 BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self COVID tests to distribute statewide.   

In addition to Fort Missoula, OEM will distribute test kits in communities throughout the County on the following days:   

• Frenchtown: Sunday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Frenchtown Fire Station  

• Clinton: Sunday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Clinton Fire Station 

With the omicron variant continuing to surge in Missoula County, identification of disease and self-isolation for people who test positive remain important measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.   

“Staff shortages and increasing hospitalizations are placing more and more stress on our healthcare system, and taking that strain off them is a top priority,” OEM Director Adriane Beck said. “These tests will give people the ability to test themselves at home and catch the disease early so they can begin isolating faster and limit disease spread and hospitalizations.”  

There is a limited supply of test kits per household. In addition to OEM’s distribution, people can also order free COVID test kits from the federal government to be delivered to their homes by visiting COVIDtests.gov or calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489). Local pharmacies also sell at-home COVID tests, though supplies are often limited. 

 Health officials ask people to closely follow testing instructions included with the package. Rapid antigen tests are more sensitive in people with symptoms and during the first week of symptoms. If a test is taken early in an infection, the virus may not trigger a positive result. People who initially test negative may test positive later and be contagious. For best results, follow the directions carefully and take two tests 24 to 48 hours apart. This is why the at-home COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test is available as a two-count box.  

Those who do test positive should immediately begin isolating from others, seek medical care if necessary, notify close contacts and report their positive result to http://missoula.co/athometest. Health officials ask those who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms and test negative using at-home tests to schedule a PCR test with MCCHD or their healthcare provider. Information on scheduling a test with the health department is online at missoulainfo.com.   

Beck will be available for media interviews from 12 to 2:30 p.m. today, and 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday. Please call 406-830-0974 or email abeck@missoulacounty.us to arrange an interview.   

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This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.